One Time Too Many
by Rise2destiny
Summary: A missing moment from GOF. When Ron is angry at Harry, he feels like he's all alone, but little does he know, that there's a friend who will always be there. MUCH better than it sounds!


This is a one-shot. It's a missing moment from Goblet of Fire, hope you guys enjoy it! Review and you will make me a happy girl!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing.  
  
"Oh Harry isn't it obvious... He's jealous!"  
  
"I know you don't ask for it... but – well – you know, Ron's got all those brothers to compete against at home, and you're his best friend, and you're really famous – he's always shunned to one side whenever people see you, and he puts up with it, and never mentions it, but I suppose this is one time too many...." Hermione, GOF U.S edition pg. 290  
  
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"I didn't start this," Harry said stubbornly. "It's his problem."  
  
"You miss him!" Hermione said impatiently. "And I know he misses you –"  
  
GOF American edition pg. 316  
  
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I'm furiously ripping at a piece of toast making it crumble in my hands as if this is going to cure everything I'm feeling.  
  
Merlin I'm angry. I'm so mad at Harry.  
  
Harry.  
  
This is all his fault. Harry gets the limelight while I am once again shunned to the side. I should get used to it though, its been happening all my life so why should I have expected any different.  
  
"Ron?"  
  
This voice immediately brought me to become aware of my surroundings. I must've startled because as I turn around, I see Hermione standing there looking as if she is frightened for my health.  
  
"Good morning," she says as upbeat as she can without making me lash out at her which I'm extremely close to doing right now.  
  
She looks at me with a small and kind grin and sits down next to me placing her hand over mine gently making me drop the crumbly pieces of toast. I know she wants to talk about my feeeeelings and how I must be soooo aggravated right now, and as much as a I want to just shove her away and stomp around moping right now, her gestures comfort me in a way I didn't she was capable of.  
  
Finally looking at her right in the eye, I reply with a cheerful as I can possibly can, "Morning."  
  
She bites her lip and blinks twice which I can't help but find incredibly cute.  
  
Wait a moment, she isn't cute. Somewhat awkward. Yeah that's it.... Awkward.  
  
"I thought maybe we could go somewhere else and talk." She asks. It's more of a question rather than a demand, but I didn't see the point of sitting in the great hall with the chatter of my classmates around me, especially when Harry could walk in at any moment. That's all I'd need. Him to ruin a perfectly comforting moment with Hermione, especially when she spends most of her time with him anyways.  
  
"Ron?" She says.  
  
I notice that now she's standing up waiting for me to go with her.  
  
"Oh yeah, coming."  
  
We head out of the great hall and end up walking outside occasionally bumping into each other. For some oddly strange reason, everytime we make contact, my skin feels like its been struck by lightning and the little hairs on my arms stand on end.  
  
"So....." she looks at me as we bump into each other.  
  
I want so badly to snap back at her. SO WHAT?!  
  
"Soooo....." I respond back feeling quite stupid.  
  
Grabbing my arm lightly, but as though she never intending to let go, she looks at me and finally asks me what's wrong.  
  
She knows very well what's wrong.  
  
"Nothin."  
  
Liar.  
  
She looks at me so skeptically that I feel like she can practically read my mind.  
  
"Liar."  
  
Dammit.  
  
"What do you want me to say Hermione?" I ask just about reaching the end of my tether.  
  
"That you're angry about this whole tournament situation... and that there's something else bothering you other than this whole stupid fight with Harry just because his name got pulled out of the Goblet of Fire." She said this all very quickly as if she was reading information out me like one of her precious books.  
  
"LOOK! This is just – just, too much! YOU don't GET IT Hermione! When I first met Harry I had no idea who he was, and then all this fame followed him around and I - "  
  
I suddenly couldn't say another word because there was a quick and unpleasant burning in the back of my throat and starting to form behind my eyes.  
  
She suddenly looks very sad and full of pity for me. She suggests we sit down somewhere. That somewhere is the edge of the lake under a weeping willow tree that shades us from the rays of the bright sun.  
  
"You what Ron?"  
  
I don't know if I should divulge my deepest secret to her, the one that's been with me since I was born. But she looks so trusting, and I can't help it when all the sudden the words come spilling out of me.  
  
"You won't understand, but I've always had so many brothers to compete against at home, and even with Ginny, and so when I came here I figured I could just make my own friends and have my own life instead of having to follow my brothers around all the time, and maybe this time I could be a leader, but then Harry came along and he was always getting gawked at and I'm once again shunned to the side like I have been all my life. A nothing."  
  
Exhale.  
  
I can't look at her now. She's going to laugh, or run away, or something.  
  
I feel her hand on my face and I look at her surprised to see the tiniest hint of tears in her eyes.  
  
"I understand Ron, but never ever say you're nothing. You're such a good person. You've put up with so much stuff, and I know it's hard now, but it's not worth being at Harry because its not his fault his name came out."  
  
She's right. Damn, why does she ALWAYS have to be right? I know Harry didn't put his name in the Goblet....  
  
"I know." I reply defeated.  
  
"And you miss him," she says as if this solves everything.  
  
"So?! What am I gonna do about it? He doesn't miss me, and why should he? He's so popular that he probably won't ever need me again, and you're spending so much time with him, that I shouldn't matter to you either."  
  
Hermione genuinely looked very taken aback. Looking at her confusingly, she answers my unasked question.  
  
"You should be aware that YOU are basically the only thing that makes sense in his life. And that right now practically the entire school is against him, and one of the reasons I'm hanging around him so much is because he literally doesn't have anyone else but me right now. You have the twins, Dean, Seamus, Lee, and ME. Harry has nobody."  
  
Must she ALWAYS be right?!  
  
"And you're just jealous. It's something I know you can overcome."  
  
"How do you know I can?"  
  
"Because....." She smiles at me. "I'm always right."  
  
Smiling back at her I can't control the flutter my heart gives. She asks if I want to go to Hogsmeade with her and want to meet Harry there later.  
  
"NO!" I exclaim a little too quickly we both notice.  
  
"Oh come - " she tries to tempt me.  
  
"I'll just figure everything out when it feels right okay?" I plead with her. "And talk to him!"  
  
"I'm not telling him anything, tell him yourself, it's the only way to sort this out. And that's all I'm going to tell him."  
  
Finally, I'm defeated.  
  
We get up, brushing the dirt of our robes and wrapping them around ourselves tightly heading back towards the castle.  
  
Reaching the entrance hall, she quickly hugs me and I can feel her smile even though I can't see her face.  
  
"Thanks Ron," she says as she pulls away.  
  
"For what?" I ask wondering what on earth I could have possibly done.  
  
Straightening the collar on my robes, she smiles up at me her eyes twinkling a beautiful cinnamon color I never noticed before.  
  
"Just.... for being you." Then she goes, library perhaps, or maybe to help out another person like me.  
  
Watching her until she disappears out of site all I can think to do it mutter two words I should've said from that day we rescued her from the troll.  
  
"Thanks Hermione."  
  
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So?! I hope you guys liked it and I know it got cheesy and stuff, but pleeeeeeeease review! Luv ya'll. SaRa 


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